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This interview is an excerpt from Kevin Gianni’s Raw Food Summit which can be found at http://rawsummitarchives.com. In this excerpt, Brendan Brazier shares more specifics on the way foods can either provide or deplete energy and the effects of stress.

Raw Food Summit Excerpt with Brendan Brazier, tri-athlete thriving on living foods, author, speaker and the creator of a meal replacement formula.

Kevin: So, you talked about what you do before a race, I mean I remember in high school we used to have posh parties the night before. What is the better option than loading yourself down with processed wheat?

Brendan: There are now a lot of better options but, yes, it’s funny and people still do that. I don’t change my diet before a race at all. I just continue to eat really good, clean foods. I’ll just have a big salad and then, one of the really important things is to make sure you eat the right stuff right after exercise to rebuild. So, before, I just make my own energy bars that’s why I have the Vega bars that developed out of what I used to make and really simply you just throw everything in the food processor, dates and some proteins, some flax and… it’s really simple. And I actually even have the recipes for the bars in the new book.

I would spend maybe 60 to 90 minutes once every 4 months to make a huge batch, cut them up individually, wrapped them, put them in a freezer and just grab one on the way out each day. It was really simple ingredients, aren’t that expensive and that was a total of like four hours a year of food preps, so it’s not exactly a big commitment.

They digest these well, they’re really easy on the stomach and you’re not having all that processed foods that actually rob you of energy but give you that false impression that it’s giving you energy. Some of the energy bars, ironically enough, are the most energy robbing foods there are out there.

Kevin: Yes. And why is that?

Brendan: Because of the processed ingredients. High fructose corn syrup is one of them that you’re body has an incredibly hard time turning into usable fuel. it’s trying to digest that and it’s so artificial that the body doesn’t even recognize it as a nutrient type of food. It’s just pure stimulation.

Kevin: And it is just the high fructose corn syrup? I mean, even some of the other ones, you know sugar and soy too.

Brendan: Yes, absolutely. Soy is in so many things and I know a few vegetarians who use to eat soy every meal and have actually developed sensitivities to it.

I did actually find in research that more people are becoming vegan in North America than ever before, but fewer people are sticking with it. The theory is that because there’s so many options now for meat alternatives like there’s soy hotdogs, soy hamburgers, tofu ice cream but then at the end of the day, they’re still not that healthy. Sure, they’re better than the meat version but they’re not great food. They’re good for transition. I think they do have their place. But then, I would caution people against staying on those and really once you have transitioned. The reason people aren’t sticking with vegan diet is because they are not feeling good on them, because they are not healthy diet food. It can very easily be said now that there are vegan junk food options out.

Kevin: I used to know a vegetarian who had a bagel and lettuce and onion and tomato and that was her lunch. She was always sick and it was sad. You talked about these soy products and you talked about all the foods that are coming out, even the fruit bars and the energy bars, what are you looking for and what do you know is good and what do you know is bad?

Brendan: Well, I’ll try and keep things pretty simple. I’m, when it comes to eating, I’m really simple to feed. I just eat lots of fruit and vegetables and try and avoid packaging as much as possible…

Kevin: Okay.

Brendan: But it’s difficult because we’re all starting in a different situation and there are some people who use standard American diet for 30 or 40 years but are genuinely interested in a healthier way now because they realized they have to do something about their diet. But the chances of them going raw or even vegan or even partially raw or vegan overnight is very, very slim for them to experience success on that.

When I talk with people about this, I usually try and just let them know that transitioning is fine and it may take a year and that’s fine because if it sticks, then it’s great, when you actually start wanting to eat the foods that are healthy for you and you lose the taste for the ones that aren’t, that’s the greatest place to be. And I think that some of the soy products are okay for transition, but just the caution is to know that they are for transition and get off them once you’re beyond that.

Kevin: I don’t imagine there are many people in this call who train as much as you do or did, but I imagine there are people on the call who would find value in what you do on a regular basis, how you train and what you eat on a regular basis throughout the day, so can you take us through a day and just kind of tell us you know what you doing and what kind of food you eat?

Brendan: Yes, sure. On a typical day, when I was training lows I would swim in the morning about four and a half kilometers pretty early in a day. Before that I would have usually half an energy bar, the ones that I just make for myself and a food processor for really basic. Get home from that, I would have usually a smoothie with quite a bit of fruit and oat mixed vega in there to have all the protein, essential fats, fiber, greens, all of that, and that would pretty much do it after the swim workout. Then I would go for a bike ride or depending on the day. I might have a nap after that if it’s going to be a really long day, but usually I’d just get on my bike ride anywhere from four to five hours. As I ride, I would drink a sport drink that I would make for myself. Really basic, the recipe is in the tried diet as well but I really want to avoid of course Gatorade and things that are full of high-fructose, corn syrup, artificial flavor and color and seems funny that there are so many sport drinks out there and all the ones I’ve seen are really not very healthy. So making my own seem like a good option and it’s really easy.

People often ask about that but it’s really just easy. I use coconut water as a base from young coconut and you can either just buy the coconut pack, or you can buy a tetra pack that has young coconut water and it is pasteurized if it’s in a tetra pack so it’s not raw but you can find one that have just 100% coconut water and that’s the only ingredient, so it’s still a pretty good option if you don’t happen to have your machete on you to open the coconut. And that would become the base of my sport drink and I’d blend in a date and a bit of lemon and lime zest just like with the jellies I talked about before but just have more liquid.

Kevin: Just zest, no juice?

Brendan: Sometimes squeeze a little juice in there too and a bit of sea salt or even a bit of dull seaweeds. Some people have a hard time getting their head around drinking, but they actually didn’t even taste it. I would just have it in a very small amount or just taste a little bit salty, and it was really good and it has lots of electrolytes in it which what you sweat out. Of course you don’t just sweat water, you sweat magnesium, potassium and other electrolytes so replacing that with dulls is a really good way do it as well. So I drink that as I rode and often at the end of that I would then have some usually another smoothie with quite a bit of protein, essential fats, all of that.

Kevin: Also have some seed in it.

Brendan: Yes, yes. Some seeds are good and then later on that night I would have a big salad, have avocado, lots of super additives, lots of seaweed, all kinds of different lettuce, sometimes some kale ripped up in there and really load up that in. That has quite a lot of protein. I think sometimes people don’t realize how much protein you got from greens. Spinach for example has almost 50% protein, around 45% and it’s such high quality that you’re getting a significant amount of protein to rebuild muscle tissue.

Kevin: Wow! And now you are burning about how many calories you think a day?

Brendan: I was probably burning around 5000 but the thing is as you’re body get used to this training and adapts, it burns fewer calories. The more fit you get, the fewer calories you burn. That’s important for an endurance test, like they don’t want to burn more than you have to. It’s all about conservation and economy, really.

Kevin: That’s one of the biggest challenges I think, a lot of people think that it’s about powering through and powering through an exercise work out too.

Brendan: Right. A lot of people and think okay, this is the week that I’m really going to get fit and healthy. I’m going to go and start this big workout routine and they do way too much too soon. Any kind of change is stress and this is true for exercise or even changing the way you eat. Even though it’s a positive change, too much too soon is going to be a stress. You got to start slow and just ease into it. Let your body adapt. There has to be physiological changes to take place and don’t try and do it overnight. The odds of sticking with it throughout the rest of your life is far greater than if you just jump into it and create all kinds of muscle soreness and can actually really injure yourself as well.

Kevin: Let’s go over some of the symptoms of too much stress again. Lack of sleep is one of them, what are some of the other ones?

Brendan: Yes. The first symptoms of stress are ones that most of us experience - trouble sleeping, sugar craving, starch craving, a bit of weight gain, trouble losing body fats, irritability, mental fog, just general fatigue, even headache, even bloating, mouth-flu like symptoms, all those things. It’s different for everyone but even in some cases, rashes, people will have skin irritation. I like to actually be sensitive to those things. I’m not trying to suppress them because I know that they’ll just manifest themselves and quite possibly crop up as a serious disease later. If you pay attention to the warning signs of stress then you’re much better off and instead of drinking coffee if you’re tired, clean up your diet and maybe get a little better quality sleep which will just happen when your diet is better.

To read the rest of this transcript as well as access the Raw Summit experts just like Brendan Brazier, please click here! Kevin Gianni is an internationally recognized health advocate, author & film consultant. He has helped thousands of people take control of their own health naturally through teleseminars and programs. For more information visit raw food diets and holistic nutrition.

Coconut oil as the new healthy oil? I thought it was full of bad saturated fats. How can it be healthy for me? After all, this is the same oil they use in chocolate candy that makes them so rich, yet so high in saturated fats. The experts say that saturated fats are bad for me. Now coconut oil is good for me?

For years we have been taught that coconut oil is bad for us. Yet millions of islanders worldwide have enjoyed coconuts for thousands of years without becoming obese or unhealthy. So, what’s up? The answer is quite simple. Islanders use fresh coconuts to eat and to produce coconut oils, while most of the oils we use are manufactured from less than fresh coconuts.

Manufacturers of coconut oil produce two different types of coconut oil using old or fresh coconuts: highly processed oils and virgin coconut oil. The highly processed oils end up containing high amounts of bad saturated fats, while virgin coconut oil is all natural, has no additives and has healthy benefits to our bodies.

How commercial grade coconut oil is produced: This method of extracting coconut oil involves using copra (the dried meat of the coconut). The copra is dried by using kilns, air drying, or smoke drying. Because the oil produced from this method of oil extraction is considered unsuitable for human consumption caused by the unsanitary methods of drying, resulting in rancid oils, the oil goes through a process known as RBD – refining, bleaching and deodorization. Sodium hydroxide is then used to remove free fatty acids and prolong shelf life. Some people actually cook and consume this grade of coconut oil.

How virgin coconut oil is produced: There are 2 different methods of producing virgin coconut oil. The first is to quick dry the coconut meat, then press out the oil. The second, more traditional method is to use fresh coconut meat, pressing out the coconut milk. The coconut milk then separates into layers naturally, with the water on the lower level, clear coconut oil on the second level and coconut solids on the top level. The coconut oil is then extracted and filtered. There are no chemicals added, no bleaching, no deodorizing or other refinements. The result is pure coconut oil with a natural shelf life of about 2 years and a melting point of 76 degrees.

Virgin Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid. This is a nutrient that supports the body’s immune system and is also found in human mother’s milk. It is also rich in other nutrients and phenolic compounds healthful to the body. Virgin coconut oil still retains the natural coconut flavor, giving it a rich, flavorful taste. Research has shown that the shorter medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil boost the body’s metabolism, raise body temperatures, and help provide greater energy. Results are a healthier, leaner body, more energy and healthier skin.

As a cooking oil, the chemical structure of virgin coconut oil is kept in tact. It remains resistant to mutations of fatty acid chains even when used in higher cooking temperatures, and unlike most vegetable oils does not produce trans fatty acids. You would think that the coconut flavor would permeate to all of your cooking, but it makes for a very delicious cooking medium.

I was a little skeptical at first. There always seems to be a new miracle product on the market. This product has been around for many years and I can now attest to the health benefits of virgin coconut oil. After one month of using 2 teaspoons of virgin coconut oil daily my good cholesterol increased about 20%, my bad cholesterol decreased by 10%, my triglycerides decreased by 15%, my skin stopped peeling around the nose and ears and I dropped 10 lbs. Not everyone experiences the dramatic changes I did, but every comment I have heard from others has been positive. With the benefits I have experienced, you can be sure that the new oil in my household is virgin coconut oil.

You can get virgin coconut oil at most health food stores. Or check out my website for a link to where I buy my virgin coconut oil and other vitamins and supplements, often at a discount.

Jeff Keto suffered a stroke in March, 2007 requiring a much healthier diet and lifestyle. Product links available at: http://njkmarketing.com

I had a stroke 13 months ago. At 36 years of age, that was a wake up call to really start eating right. I had dropped 68 lbs over an 18 month period prior to the stroke by eliminating fast foods and soda and exercising more. At 50% of my goal I thought I was doing well. But now I had to get serious about what I ate, especially since I had lost use of my right side making exercise out of the question for many months.

I have had to totally revamp what and how I ate. No more fried or fatty foods, no cakes, pastries or candies, a lot smaller portions, less carbs, less fats and more good foods were required. In fact, my stomach seemed so full with so much less that I had to make everything I ate count.

I had made it past being a statistic (stroke is the #3 killer in the USA and Europe) and I wanted to keep from being a future statistic (70% of stroke victims die in the first year). Fruits and vegetables became the norm, with grilled fish, especially salmon, and lean meats, such as chicken breast, rounding out my meals. Oatmeal and whole grain cereals became my regular breakfast foods. A few heart-healthy nuts like almonds, cashews, and sunflower seeds became my snacks. It is a lot different having to change your lifestyle than thinking about what you can change.

Of course I had to change what I put on a salad. The standard dressings are just too high in salt, sugar and fat. Olive oil with non-salt seasonings became the dressing of choice, in moderation. In fact, anything requiring oil was replaced with virgin olive oil.

During the past year I have gained back some use of my limbs and can actually go for walks unassisted. I can eat a little more and have been able to add some other foods in my diet in moderation, being very careful what I eat. My weight loss during this period was 13 lbs.

My blood tests showed my beginning bad cholesterol, LDL, were 166 mg/dL and my triglycerides were over 200 mg/dL. Normal levels of LDL should be 70-130 and triglycerides 0-150. Both bad cholesterol and triglycerides dropped significantly by my diet changes to the point where my doctor was no longer concerned about my new levels of bad cholesterol 110 mg/dL.

Apparently my changes in diet had helped drop the LDL levels, but my lack of ability to really exercise had caused my good cholesterol, HDL, to drop to 32, putting me at a greater risk of heart disease. Desirable levels of HDL are 40-70. The recommendation was to try and add more exercise. But, I was already doing as much as I could. I needed to find other ways to help raise my good cholesterol.

I had heard about the health benefits of coconut oil, so I got on the computer and started researching the facts. Convinced this may help me I approached the doctor with what I had learned. At first she was against the idea of my using coconut oil because of the saturated fats associated with this oil. I agreed. That’s what loads chocolate with so much saturated fats. The oil is processed and chemically treated. Ugh!

But, I showed her that virgin coconut oil is processed differently. It is pure and contains lauric acid. Its fats are healthier medium chain fats beneficial to the body. I showed her the studies and results of people using virgin coconut oil. In the end she agreed to let me give it a try for one month.

Here are the results of adding two teaspoons of virgin coconut oil each morning to my banana/milk/protein shake and replacing virgin olive oil with virgin coconut oil in my salad dressings. Note that my exercise remained the same as before. My good cholesterol rose to 40 mg/dL, my bad cholesterol dropped to 100 mg/dL, my Triglycerides dropped to 140 mg/dL and I dropped 10 lbs. I can’t wait to see the results in 6 weeks when I get tested again.

Virgin coconut oil definitely has very good benefits. It is too bad the commercial coconut oil manufacturers use in foods, especially chocolates, are so highly processed and chemically altered that they are so loaded with saturated fats. I hear you can even safely use virgin coconut oil to replace cooking oils used in saut

You can imagine my surprise after my last blood test when my doctor told me I needed to raise my cholesterol levels. What? I had a stroke the year before and had revamped my diet to lower my cholesterol. I was slowly able to walk and move more and was adding as much exercise as my body could handle. I had successfully dropped an extremely high cholesterol level to well within normal ranges. Now she wanted me to raise my cholesterol levels again?

That’s because there are two types of cholesterol; good cholesterol, or HDL (high-density lipoproteins) and bad cholesterol, or LDL (low-density lipoproteins). HDL scour the walls of the blood vessels, sweeping away excess fat and cholesterol in the blood and carries it back to the liver for processing, preventing plaque build-up. We’ve all heard that it is important to decrease bad cholesterol, but it is just as important to keep our HDL levels high. I had lowered my bad cholesterol levels but my good cholesterol had dropped as well.

An HDL reading less than 40 mg/dL is considered to be a major risk factor for heart disease, with a reading between 40 and 50 mg/dL recommended, while readings over 60mg/dL indicate a significantly lowered risk of heart disease. My HDL had dropped to a risky 32 mg/dL. The question now was how to raise good cholesterol. Listed below are some suggestions that will help.

Lose Excess Fat by Increasing Activity: It is important to lose excess body fat. But, often dieting alone can cause the desirable HDL to drop along with LDL. By increasing regular physical activity with aerobic exercise, this trend is stopped and good HDL levels will increase. Aerobic exercise is any constant activity that increases your heart rate. Please note that exercise has a powerful, yet short-lived effect, so it is important to exercise on a consistent basis. Studies show that people who exercise regularly tend to have higher HDL.

Research shows that HDL may be elevated as much as 20 percent from regular aerobic exercise that expends at least 800 to 1,200 calories per week. For example, walking at 3 miles per hour burns roughly 300 calories per hour, so walking 3 to 4 hours a week would meet this goal. Further studies show that the duration of exercise, rather than the intensity is a more important factor in raising HDL. Any aerobic exercise will have a greater effect the longer you can participate in that activity. Instead of increasing how hard you exercise, try adding a little more time to your activity for the greater HDL benefits. Studies show that for every 10 minutes of additional exercise HDL may increase by 1.4 mg/dL

Weight control is critical to raising HDL levels. Researchers note that every kilogram (2.2 pounds) of weight a patient loses raises HDL levels by an average 0.35 mg/dL. So, get walking, hiking, swimming, biking or whatever. Just increase your activity and control what you eat.

Stop Smoking: Giving up tobacco will result in an increase of HDL. Studies show this can raise your HDL by about 4 mg/dL. If you do smoke, please stop! Smoking puts you at high risk for heart disease and stroke. Believe me, these are not experiences you want, especially since they are the #1 and #3 killers in this country and strokes are the #1 cause of disability.

Eliminate Trans Fats: High intakes of trans fats lower HDL. It is hard enough to improve cholesterol levels with food. Cutting out fast foods, processed foods and foods made with hydrogenated oils will at least stop drops in good cholesterol and will stem the rise of bad cholesterol. This is not an easy task since many of our favorite prepared foods contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.

Alcohol: One or two drinks a day, no more, can show a beneficial increase to HDL levels, regardless of the type of alcohol, by up to 4 mg/dL. But, use caution if you have liver or other conditions affected by alcohol or you have an addictive nature. Consult your doctor.

Improved Diet: What we eat can help lower overall cholesterol and increase HDL levels. It gets so hard with our lifestyles these days. I had a problem eating right while working an 8-5 job, juggling home life and personal activities. It is just so much easier to eat processed foods. But it can be done. The more I find foods I like that are good for me and include them in my diet, the less room I have for not-so-good foods.

Canola oil, avocado oil, olive oil and the oils found in peanut butter can increase HDL, as can soy, flaxseed, eating more nuts such as almonds, cashews, walnuts, peanuts and pecans. A 2004 study in Diabetes Care found that men and women with type 2 diabetes who included 30 grams of walnuts a day in their diet showed improved HDL levels.

Soluble fiber found in fruits, vegetables, beans and oats help reduce LDL and raise HDL. Orange juice and cranberry juice have also been shown to be beneficial, as are cold-water fish containing omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, tuna and mackerel. High glycemic products like cereals and breads on the other hand are associated with lower HDL levels. Consumption of the products should be reduced.

Magnesium rich foods have been shown to both help raise good cholesterol, lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar levels and lower blood fats These include spinach, black beans, kidney beans, lima beans, soybeans, halibut, peanuts, pumpkin seeds and some whole grains.

Other herbs and nutrients that have been beneficial are niacin (vitamin B3), guggul (a gum resin from the mukul myrrh tree), curcumin, chromium and calcium citrate.

As you can see, with a few dietary changes and increasing aerobic physical activity you can win the battle over cholesterol for life. For the balance of this article discussing the above mentioned supplements, please visit my website for the full article.

Jeff Keto suffered a stroke in March, 2007 requiring a much healthier diet and lifestyle. Product links available at: http://njkmarketing.com

One of the many rewards of vigorous exercise is the leisurely relaxation of the post exercise bath or shower. You will find that the most enjoyable part of a workout is taking a shower, although pitchers sent to the showers disagree. This is the moment of intense nothingness you have earned. Make the most of it. It is good for you. You are now re-educating your muscles to relax on command. There is no tension in the shower. You probably could not be anxious if you tried.

Your muscles and nervous system once again have learned to obey the STOP sign that they learned to ignore in your efforts to be successful. And second, this application of moist heat promotes increased circulation to your muscles, of significant benefit in avoiding stiffness and cramps.

Workouts should be varied—both to provide varying degrees of stress and to offer variety and promote fun.

How To Limber Up

Early in the game you should do limbering-up or flexibility workouts. You must redevelop long-lost flexibility of muscles and joints before starting in on “progressive resistance” training. Limbering-up workouts consist of stretching exercises. These include touching your toes, rotating and bending the trunk, flexing and extending the neck, flailing the arms loosely in all directions, and a series of other exercises which you can improvise for your own needs.

Training for strength and stamina should be attempted only after two to four weeks of limbering-up workouts—when you are sure you are loose enough. This takes patience. Naturally enough, fitness beginners want to see immediate results. But Rome was not built in a day. Achievable fitness goals, like all other ambitions, should be modest at all times and without time limit. You can set your sights higher and higher—but one step at a time.

Other of your workouts can be modifications of those used by competing athletes. Once you have graduated beyond the limbering-up phase, you are now ready for fun workouts. The ground training is over and you are ready to take off— and solo.

In any fitness program, whether or not competition is an aim, improved proficiency and stamina are inevitable—but unpredictable. Unlike climbing Mount McKinley, where each bit of progress is a measurable distance of steady ascent, fitness is a series of prolonged plateaus, each of which seems never to end but which is a definite step up from the former.

During initial efforts little if any improvement may be noted for weeks. Then, with no extra effort, the next plateau is reached abruptly and continues for more weeks. Later, a higher degree of achievement is suddenly discovered—and with plateau periods of varying lengths, higher and higher peaks are reached. Improvement is stepwise, not steady. Protracted leveling off may be discouraging, but usually precedes another jump in performance. The weatherman and the physician base their forecasts on sound, scientific data. Although the physician fortunately has a higher batting average, both are subjected to the whimsical vagaries of nature. It would be impossible for any physician to predict how long it may take you to reach excellent, steady, superior fitness. If you have followed the rules outlined thus far, a conservative guess would be six months

CJ Boston owns and operates www.MuscleFitnessEquipment.com ,covering the latestTreadmill Review and even tips for Muscle Elegance

Are you one of those who have lost hope in weight loss? You think you can’t do it for nuts. You think you have tried it all and it’s of no use? Think again! Most of you might have reduced weight only to gain more, or some of you might be frustrated on the slow pace of weight loss or few might simply hate the kind of diet they are following. Whatever may be the reason, weight loss is not such a horrendous or a tough task. Getting that into your head will prepare you psychologically for weight reduction. It will look a lot easier. So what is the secret of those who have successfully reduced weight?

1. Study pattern shows that they pursue aerobics. They practice an aerobic session 5-7 days a week. These people average about 45 minutes of aerobics everyday with their ranges spreading over 30-90 minutes. Aerobics helps you burn a lot of calories. It also increases your BMR- basal metabolic rate.

2. Weight training programs help you to tone your muscles. This is also another successful method followed by the successful group. They weight train for 2-3 days a week. Those who follow this are more successful at weight loss.

3. Workouts in the morning help tremendously in preparing your body for the rest of the day. You end up feeling great. Consistent morning exercises on a day to day basis puts in place your food habits. You tend to feel less hunger and hence eat the right food. This regulates your metabolic system and it works the way it should and helps you get into a healthy mind frame. Natural weight loss is the best way to reduce weight as in merges well with the body and helps in the long run. Crash diets won’t help. It is better to stick on to healthy food consisting of your favorites to make it tastier. Avoid junk food.

4. People often misunderstand the concept. 20 minutes of exercise every day won’t help if you are looking for serious weight loss. You have to work out vigorously to make changes. If it’s your priority go ahead and do it. You will definitely feel a change in yourself soon. 20 minutes every day can’t change your metabolic rate effectively, drastically reduce your weight, and make you feel great.

5. It is practically impossible to work out consistently for an hour. Make time, wake up early in the morning, make it a routine, fix your targets, and be sincere. And when you end up reducing weight, it is important to maintain it, or you will end up putting on more weight. Stick to your regime, you can probably ease out a bit but not too much. If you are looking for a serious change, then you will have to follow a serious plan. Weight loss tips can only guide, you are the only one who can make it work. So go ahead and make the difference.

Gary Grewal is the founder of the site http://www.101weightloss.com/; A site featuring many articles on weight loss subjects such as eating habits, exercise, foods & nutrition, diets, pills etc. Visit his site for many more tips on natural weight loss.

Acne Treatments Guide - Products To Avoid whilst Treating Acne

There are a lot of non prescription products acquirable for addressing and aiding to prevent acne.

A few are developed specifically for this function, and contain acne medications and substances designed to unclog pores and cut down the probabilities of acne from formulating.

Acne Treatments Guide Advice:

Other acne products are merely cleansers, fashioned to do nothing more than cleanse the skin and get rid of excess oils and grime, which assists with controlling acne breakouts.

So which acne products are helpful, and which may in reality be adverse to your skin?

Soap is one of the most basic products used to cleanse the skin, and for a lot of people is satisfactory to apply on acne stricken areas. Soap can, nevertheless, exacerbate these areas depending upon your skin type, skin sensitivity, and actual acne condition.

It is crucial to apply a cleanser that will work best with these factors. This will assist you avert additional annoyance to the skin and will encourage faster healing.

If you have sensitive skin, keep your distance from perfumed soaps, because the chemicals in them could induce breakouts. If your skin is oily, apply soaps that are virtually oil-free, because products containing a significant amount of oil will add extra oil to your skin, stimulating the pores to become clogged up and future breakouts to take place.

Cosmetics may induce acne to worsen. Certain makeup products incorporate chemicals that although on the skin, clog up the pores and annoy the skin, stimulating breakouts.

If you are enduring more breakouts than normal, or if you experience something is annoying your skin, you might prefer to determine what is in your cosmetic products that may make up stimulating this to occur.

Acne Treatments Guide For cosmetics:

As an alternative, apply cosmetics that are non-cometigenic, meaning they will not clog up your pores. If a product bothers your skin, stop applying it and get one that does not.

Product containers nowadays incorporate information about what is in the product, and what it should be used for, and frequently, what skin types it works best on. You will be able to attain information by studying these labels.

As noted above, remember not to over wash your skin, because this may cause it to become irritated and additional acne breakouts to take place. Likewise, wash gently. Rigorous scrubbing will not remove any more dirt and oil than gentle scrubbing, and will likewise cause irritation.

Acne Treatments Guide Recommends:

Do not squeeze pimples, because this causes the bacteria to go deeper inside the skin, and the region close to the pimple to get irritated and reddened. Instead, cleanse the area and apply a toner to relieve the problem and bring out the pus.

Make certain to select your acne products cautiously. You could even try adhering one brand for your day-to-day regimen, since this will assist you in being consistent. Frequently, a particular line of products is engineered to work in collaboration, and will encourage healing and prevention in the same way.

Acne Treatments Guide Conclusion:

Keep one’s distance from abrasive products that could irritate your skin, and switch products if what you are applying is not working for you. Consult a doctor if use of nonprescription hygiene products Is not doing the job intended.

Copyright John Adams Acne Treatments Guide Acne Treatments And Preventions- Get A Better Understanding Of How To Treat Your Acne

Activated charcoal has been treated by heat to open up millions of small spaces between the carbon atoms and turn it literally into an atomic sponge that adsorbs both organic and organic impurities.

This heat treatment is carried out in the absence of oxygen, so the charcoal cannot burn. Instead, what oxygen it did contain is driven off leaving behind all of these interstitial gaps that multiply the effective surface area by factors of ten. Since it is the surface area of the charcoal that determines its potency, then the greater this is the better.

Activated charcoal has a massive surface area, and just ten grams has the same surface area as nine American football pitches or 77 tennis courts. Ten grams is just marginally more than a third of an ounce. The term adsorb has a different meaning to absorb, and while a real sponge absorbs water by mopping it up through capillary action and suction, activation carbon adsorbs substances through a form of chemical attraction. You get rid of water from the sponge by squeezing it, but that doesn’t work with activated charcoal, since the substances are bound to it, not just physically constrained.

This huge surface area provides activated charcoal with innumerable bonding sites, and when chemicals that are attracted to carbon pass by they are attached to the surface. They cannot get free again, as water in a sponge can, but are bound to the surface of the carbon. Because the digestive system has no effect on charcoal then whatever is bound to it passes naturally through the body.

It is most effective at binding other carbon-based materials, and other substances with the right electronic arrangement, but others will just pass straight through. Because it is a chemical process, once all of the empty bonding sites have been taken up, the charcoal loses its effectiveness and has to be replaced. It is possible to regenerate it, but hardly worthwhile for you to do so because of the small quantities you use.

Because of the way it works, activated charcoal can help people to recover from some forms of food poisoning. It can adsorb gases in the intestine and help to relieve the pain of excessive gas in the gut. It has many additional uses that will be touched on later, but for now we will look at its effect on poisons because that is where activated charcoal is of greatest benefit to us.

It does not adsorb and neutralize all poisons, but is very effective with those that it can be sued for. Professor Touery proved a point when he drank a lethal dose of strychnine in front of colleagues at the French Academy of Medicine in 1831 and came through unscathed. He had mixed the strychnine with activated charcoal, and the fact that he lived after drinking a dose that would certainly have led to a very painful death within minutes testifies to the powerful effect of activated charcoal as an potential antidote for poisoning.

Ever medicine cabinet should have an emergency supply of activated carbon, especially those with young children in the household. However, this is not good news for the pharmaceutical companies who have reacted by refuting some of the claims made in its favor: they have claimed that it is not effective against arsenic. If that is so, then how did Michel Bertrand survive after swallowing 5 grams of arsenic trioxide – 150 times what is regarded as the lethal dose? He did this is 1813 after mixing it with activated charcoal, just as Professor Touery was to do 18 years later with ten times the lethal dose of strychnine.

It is true, however, that it does not have this degree of activity with all poisons, and it has no effect on cyanide, alcohols, antifreeze (glycols) and lithium. It also has no effect on corrosive poisons such as the strong alkalis used in oven clearers, or hydrocarbons such as kerosene. The way it works is adsorb the poison and prevent it being released into the body. For that to happen, the poison must have an affinity for carbon, and its adsorption site, and not all substances possess that property. Those that do however are permanently bound and therefore safe.

For charcoal to be effective in neutralizing a poison, it must be swallowed within an hour of taking the poison, or the poison will be too far advanced ion the digestive process for the charcoal to do any good. Keep in mind, though, that it is not selective, and activated charcoal can adsorb nutrients and other beneficial constituents of your body’s chemistry. It is important therefore that you take in only when necessary: you might need several doses if the poison was severe, but once it has done its job it is not meant to be used as a maintenance material to take ‘just in case’. Used like that, it can do harm.

If charcoal can adsorb poisons then it makes sense to believe that it can also adsorb some of the harmful agents that cause food poisoning. Not all food poisoning of course, but certainly those organisms that emit toxins that are attracted to carbon. And this is, in fact, the case. Food poisoning is caused by bacteria rather than viruses, and is not the presence of the bacteria that make you vomit and feel very ill.

As bacteria grow in your body they release toxins, or poisons, into your digestive system. These poisons are what make you ill. They can seriously affect the complete gastro-intestinal tract, causing vomiting, diarrhea, and inflammation and swelling of the small and large intestine. The latter can cause abdominal cramps and severe colic, and the severity of the symptoms depends very much upon the type of bacteria and the number of them in your body.

Many of these toxins are attracted to carbon since they are frequently organic based, and activated charcoal can be used to adsorb them. Once adsorbed they lose their potency, and since carbon is not digested by the body, they are passed harmlessly through the colon and eliminated in the faeces. It can also be used to eliminate many other foreign bodies from your gut, including viruses and fungi and might possibly reduce the concentration of uric acid, which can bring relief to gout sufferers.

Activated charcoal has many uses, and is normally available in capsule form. It can be dangerous to take too much, particularly if you suffer from intestinal problems that cause constipation, because the charcoal itself can have that effect. However, there is no better emergency treatment for accidental poisoning in the home, although, since it is not suitable for all poisons, you must still regard poisoning as an emergency and contact the emergency services.

Activated charcoal, or activated carbon as it is sometimes called, is also a good emergency treatment for vomiting and the other unpleasant effects of food poisoning. It deals with bacterial toxins in the same way as any other, though once again you must refer to your physician before or after using it – preferably the former.

More information on activated charcoal for stomach problems such as food poisoning is available at VitaNet

To lead a healthy and active life it is a must that you must have some sort of physical fitness activities. It changes the lifestyle of a person and ameliorates the intensity and survival of the body. But physical fitness is not easy to maintain because of the stress and strain of modern life.

The life-sustaining elements of physical fitness are cardiovascular durability and survival, respiratory ratio, muscular force and suppleness. Also age and genetics are ace factors which influence physical fitness. Similar type of physical fitness cannot be undertaken by every one.

There is difference in each ones physique and health conditions. In addition to exercise you must be careful about your diet also. You should take in a well balanced diet along with regular exercise to keep yourself fit. Small physical actions that fit an individual’s physical shape are better than heavy exercises.

In the present days, more and more people are pertained about the significance of physical fitness in their lives. The impulse to head a physically fit life has encouraged the growth of gyms and health clubs in every niche of the world. Physical fitness coaching classes are let in from school days.

If you are physically fit it will reduce health related problems like obesity or hypertension or even cardio vascular problems. Physical fitness also gives you emotional stability. You can achieve physical fitness also through yoga or aerobic exercises.

Your fitness level is made up of your power to execute the physical abilities in a seamless and interconnected fashion to finish any job at any given point of time. Physical fitness should not, be calculated only by the physical skill. True physical fitness means your ability to do any variety of tasks under the maximum diversity of circumstances.

Physical fitness is a compromise of all the ten physical skills. They are:

Cardio respiratory survival

This means the capacity of the system in the body and of the body’s systems to assemble, treat, bear and hold oxygen during a lengthy stressful attempt or action.

Strength

The ability of the combined muscular units in a body to apply force.

Flexibility

The ability to bend easily without breaking up.

Power

Power in a body means its strength and its speed to apply force in a minimum time interval.

Speed

The ability to do repeated movements in a minimum time.

Coordination

Coordination of the body means the ability to combine different movements into a single movement.

Agility

Minimum time taken by the body to change from one movement to another is agility.

Balance

The center of gravity of the body has to be controlled with its support base.

Accuracy

To do things correctly whatever be the field of work. This implies that you must have the ability to control your movements in a given direction. The intensity should be correct and it should be done without mistakes.

Toughness

The physical and mental capacity and decision to do something which may be difficult and may also take a very long time.

Chris McCombs an Irvine personal trainer. Chris owns his own fitness and training business Positively Fit Inc. which helps people all over Orange County lose fat and get the body they want. You can learn more about Chris by visiting http://www.spokanefitnesscoach.com/articles/personal-trainer-irvine.html

Obesity is a problem which is on the increase in the United States. Even though many people are not seem obese, they may still be overweight. Many people attempt to lose weight with diet, but every attempt proves to be a failure on their part. They fail because they are ignorant of the key to dieting success. Their approach to dieting is all wrong.

Many people view their diet as purely physical in nature. They think that if they diet they will eat less food and it will help them to loose their weight and they will stay thin from then on. But overeating and the ability to stick to a restrictive diet is not a physical problem. It is a mental and emotional problem. So it is better that you exercise your body and mind together so that you keep fit.

The importance to dieting is to find a diet to which you can stick. You have to find a dieting habit which would work for you. After you find the diet which fits you, you have to be mentally committed to it, no matter whatever happens. The key to dieting success is all in your hands and in your mind. Make up your mind and success will be yours. It truly is all in your mind and your key to dieting success.

Tips for successful dieting and staying fit.

• Make it a habit to walk or go for cycling for 30 minutes every day.

• Consume a fruit every day in your empty stomach.

• Take in lots of vegetables with your lunch.

• Avoid snacks and fast foods.

• You have to eat once in three hours.

Dieting means not only losing body weight, but also being healthy and fit. To loose weight means to burn more calories than you take in.

Understand these six simple steps to dieting:

• You should keep track of the amount of calories that you take in each day. Try to count the calories in what ever you eat or even drink. Put it down in black and white.

• At the end of the day you should total all the calories that you had through out the day. Be sincere to your self and do the totaling.

• Just try to reduce the calorie intake with a standard measure. This standard depends on your capacity and your kind of job that you would be doing every day.

• Try to have 5 small meals a day. Do not go in for three big meals in a day. Nor should you eat through out the day. Eat every 3 hours so that your metabolism speeds up and you can loose your weight.

• Workouts related to cardio are also important part of weight loss. In addition to keeping a watch on your dieting you should also do some work outs to burn your calories.

• Finally at the end of the week weight yourself. If there has been a change then stick to the same routine. This means that your body has adapted to the changes well.

Chris McCombs is a Personal Trainer in Long Beach. Chris owns his own fitness and training business Positively Fit Inc. helping people all over Orange County to lose fat and get the body they want. You can learn more about Chris by visiting http://www.socalworkout.com/long-beach-personal-trainer-exercise-tips.html